Tours

The Grand Canyon Special 2023 provides many opportunities for tours.  This section provides current information on three categories of tours:  Layout, Operations, and Local Tours.  Additional tours will be added so look for exciting updates up until the day of the convention!

Layout Tours

Layout tours will be available in Phoenix, Flagstaff and Williams on three days as follows:

Wednesday, June 7, 11AM to 2PM, Phoenix

Enjoy these layouts on your way to the Convention.  You can stop to see them and still arrive in Flagstaff in time for dinner and the Ice Cream Social

Thursday, June 8, 1PM to 4PM, Flagstaff

Friday, June 9, 1PM to 4PM, Flagstaff and Williams

On your way back from visiting the GCRR Engine facility you can easily stop to see these great layouts

• • • Williams – Mike Guinn, HO/On30; Marvin Mason, HO

Sunday, June 11, Afternoon, 1 PM to 4PM

One last chance as you depart the Convention to visit these fine layouts:

• • • McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park/Scottsdale Model Railroad Club, HO/HOn3
    • Frank Baker, HO
    • Adobe Mountain, HO/N/G

Operating Session

All are welcome to operate on Verryl Fosnight’s Wyoming Division located in Cornville, AZ.  The operating system (single trick car card car forwarding system) is simple to operate and easy to learn.  You should have no hesitancy to get into ops using this simple method.  You can then go on to more complicated 4 cycle car card systems or switch list operations and work your way up even to Time Table and Train Order ops  (TT & TO). You will need to sign up at the convention for this Sunday Operating session.  A few quick facts about this magnificent layout:

• • Scale:  HO
  • Prototype:  Union Pacific, Wyoming Division  (Cheyenne, WY to Ogden, UT, 485 miles)
  • Era:   1957
  • Design Style:  Point to point double track from Cheyenne, Wyoming to Ogden, Utah
  • Main Line Length: approximately 1,006 feet (16.59 scale miles point to point including 45 feet of main line in staging) (2,012 feet total)
  • Total Track:   approximately 5,300 feet
    
  • Average Time to Complete Train run from Cheyenne to Ogden :  1 – 1 1/2 hour
  • Layout Building inside area:  3,626 square feet 

LOCAL TOURS

There are many local tours available from the Flagstaff area.  Some are within easy waling distance of the Drury Hotel while others require transportation. Plan to take advantage of all that Flagstaff offers. A list of the most popular local tours appears below:

• • State Park:
  • Riordan Mansion State Park (lumber) – NAU campus – 3 block walk – NAU shuttle bus
  • National Monuments:
    • Walnut Canyon National Monument
    • Sunset Crater National Monument
    • Wupatki National Monument
  • Flagstaff Depot and Visitor’s Center
  • Downtown walking tour – architecture and geology .5 to 2 miles
  • #25 “2 Spot”, 2-8-0 Engine, Served Flagstaff Lumber mills for decades.
  • Railfan spot.
  • Lowell Observatory – moon exploration, home of Pluto and New Horizons, Mars
  • Museum of Northern Arizona – Geography and history of Arizona
  • Pioneer Museum – History of Flagstaff, #12 – 2-6-6-2 compound Mallet
  • Snow Bowl scenic chair rides up Agassiz Peak
  • Mt. Elden archeological site
  • Picture canyon
  • Hiking, biking, fishing,
  • 3 million acres of forest. 875 volcanic sites.
  • Trace the Arizona Mineral Belt/Central Arizona lumber railroad right-of-way